Presidential Address, June 19, 2003
Ed Verrier, MD
"Who Moved My Heart?"
(PDF Available)
Dr. Verrier gave an emotional presidential address to an audience of approximately 100-150 surgeons on the opening day of The Western Thoracic Surgical Association in Carlsbad, CA. Below is an outline of his speech. He began by thanking his family and mentors. He focused on those Surgeon Educators that moved his heart. Some of his mentors included Paul Ebert, Dan Ullyot, Carlos Pelligrini, and Arthur Thomas. It was clear by his emotional outpouring that these people were important to him.
Dr. Verrier went on to discuss where he came up with the title of his speech, who moved my heart? It actually came from a children's book, who moved my cheese? (If you are interested I am sure you can find it on the internet) He related this to ho w we as surgeons need to adapt to changes in our field and that we must also understand leadership. He then went on to outline the disruptive threats to CT Surgery.
What are the disruptive threats to CT Surgery?
Clinical
- Diminished Case Volumes
- Emphasis on Cost Containment
- Loss of Societal Respect
Educational
- Low Case Volumes
- New Work Hour Regulation
- Increased Demand on Faculty
Academic
- Low Volumes
- Local- Administrative Roadblocks
- National- Governmental Regulations
- Pessimism that CT Surgery is not a Growth Industry
Strengths
- Leadership Character Traits
- Defined National Curriculum
- What We Do Every Day Is Special
Weakness
- Short history
- Perception of Misplaced Priorities
- One-dimensional as Doctors
Mission statement
- Adapt to Change
- Be Lifelong Learners
Clinical Challenge
- Preservation of Academic Medical Centers
- Resist Decentralization
- We Must Continue to Evolve
- Embrace Complex Cardiovascular Disease
- We Must Develop New Skills
Educational Priorities
- Need to Raise the Bar for the Quality of Training (Excess of residents being trained)
- Need to Definitively Abandon ABS Certification
- Reemphasize the Importance of Mentorship
TSDA Survey
- Program Directors Believe that Research is Important
- 63 % of Residents Had done Research Prior to CT Training
- 68 % of Residents are Interested in Academic Careers
Review
- Discussed the Importance of Committing to Basic Science Research
- Our Residents Must Be Prepared Properly By Getting Involved
He predicted that 2000-2010 will be a decade of change.
Erik Beyer, M.D.
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation